Making Stars on Earth

Scientists usually study stars from afar, through a telescope. One scientist discovered a way to study stars up close, and on Earth — through a machine that acts like a powerful energy generator or star, called the Z Machine.

Related Current Events

Scientists recently made an exciting discovery. They spotted three, earth-sized planets beyond our solar system. Though scientists have found many planets in the past, these particular ones are special because they may potentially support life. They each orbit a reddish “dwarf star” that is smaller than our sun and much cooler. Scientists used to ignore these dwarf stars, but now we know that such stars can produce planets worth studying. Scientists will continue to analyze these planets to find out more about their atmospheres and properties. Listen to hear more about these three newly-discovered worlds.

Our world is made of matter. Everything you see and feel is ordinary matter. Matter has a counterpart called antimatter. And true to science-fiction stereotype, if matter and antimatter meet, they destroy each other. Scientists are trying to find out why antimatter is so rare. One recent experiment took place inside a giant particle accelerator where scientists made small amounts of antimatter. After studying and measuring the forces of both antimatter and matter, they found that they behaved exactly the same. Listen to hear more about this discovery and why it matters.

Individuals who make extraordinary contributions to science often begin as regular people with a passion. This was certainly the case for Alan Guth, the physicist responsible for our understanding of how the universe formed after the Big Bang. Guth’s love for physics was sparked in high school and continues to drive his work today as a professor at MIT. Listen to learn more about his journey from a small town in New Jersey to physics textbooks around the world.

The sun is a star that sits at the center of our Solar System. It provides heat and a gravitational pull for all of the planets that orbit it. Scientists have long believed they knew what the sun was made up of and how it worked. When new evidence upset the balance between theory and observation, a solar physicist set out to reproduce the way the sun functions in a laboratory. Listen to hear more about how the sun works.

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